Stephen Colbert gets his Irish up at Winter Olympics

Stephen Colbert took the Winter Olympics by storm last night showing up at the Irish House and announcing "I am Stephen Colbert. I am the lord of the dance," he told the hollering crowd according to the Vancouver Sun.

He also poked fun at Vancouver broadcaster Dave Abbott, seated beside him onstage. "Here is living proof that the Irish live hard," he said, as he put his arm around the grey-haired Abbott. "This man is 16."

He asked the crowd about just how Irish they were, "Now are there actual people from Ireland here?" He shouted : "Who wants to celebrate Irish culture?" In response to the crowd's screams, Colbert opened up a book and pretended to read from James Joyce and 'Ulysses' .

"All right. Ulysses by James Joyce. Chapter 1," he said, reading the opening passage. "Get comfortable. This is going to take a little while."

When a bar brawl threatened to happen Colbert quipped about the Irish fighting "with the softest of fists."

Abbott asked Colbert about his heritage. Colbert said he was 100 percent Irish and Abbott deadpanned: "Would that account for your strange behaviour?" Colbert responded: "Yes, and my strength of character."

Before leaving the stage, Colbert sang an Irish tune with the crowd clapping along, then left to thunderous applause.